forever star

chapter 11

John Matthew

I felt really nervous about going on a date, but luckily my friend David was there with me.

"I've never been on dates before, I don't even know what to do," I admitted.

"Don't worry, John. Just relax. You're not going to kiss her on your first date, right?" David reassured me.

I gave him a look of disbelief. "Who would kiss someone on a first date, especially someone they barely know?"

"You're so innocent," David chuckled.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Never mind. Just be yourself. You're only going to be her boyfriend for three or four hours, so just chill and be yourself," David advised.

I thought about it and realized maybe I was overthinking things. "Okay, I'll try to relax and go with the flow."

"Good luck, and be careful. If anyone finds out that a doctor is going on a date with a patient, it could be trouble for your job," David warned.

I nodded, giving him a thumbs up, and got ready for our four-hour date.

Sophia called me and said she was waiting for me at the café, so I went there straight away. I brought some flowers for her because I wanted to do things right, like a proper boyfriend.

When I arrived and parked my car, I went into the café. Emma was already there, standing up and waving at me. I was so lost in how beautiful she looked in her cute pink dress, with that perfect smile of hers, that I didn't even notice her waving.

"John, is everything alright? I was waving at you, but you didn't respond," she said, bringing me back to reality.

"You look beautiful, 19," I blurted out suddenly, and she blushed. Gosh, her pink cheeks, what are you doing to me? I gave her the flowers and we sat down, ordered some coffee.

"I'm sorry, John. I know I kind of pushed you into all this, even though I know it's not real. But thanks," she said.

"So, is this how you talk to your boyfriend? And let's just pretend, like I'm pretending. So, tell me, my 19, what are your wishes?" I asked, trying to make her feel less forced or pitied.

"My wishes?" she said, looking confused.

"Yeah, you know, just making conversation," I replied. Suddenly, her eyes lit up so beautifully, as if she had been waiting her whole life for someone to ask that question.

"Okay, I don't have many, but I like to paint and I've always wanted to see fireworks, but I never have," she said, which puzzled me.

"It's not that I've never had the chance to see them, but I'm scared of the sound they make, so I avoid them," she explained.

"And?" I prompted.

"And... I want to help make you a better person."

"What? I'm fine, there's nothing wrong with me, 19," I said, disbelievingly.

"You may not realize it, but I see pain in your eyes, John. You have no goals in your life, just work and more work. You've never done anything for yourself," she observed. Emma was the first person to see how unhappy I truly am. I didn't say anything after that; we just left the café and started walking, anywhere, just walking, not knowing where we were headed.

"How long are we going to walk like this without knowing where we're going?" she asked.

"I don't know, why are you afraid?" I teased her.

"No, it's just nice like this, but I'm starting to feel tired and it's getting dark," she said, sounding weary.

"Yeah, maybe we should head back to the car and go to the hospital," I suggested. She nodded, and we turned to look for my car. Once inside, I started driving, feeling a bit worried. Suddenly, I felt her hand on mine. I looked up and saw Emma holding my hand.

"Our date will end once we get to the hospital, so please let me hold your hand," she said. I held it tightly and never let go. I could have held her hand forever. When we arrived at the hospital, she fell asleep. I didn't want to disturb her, so I gently picked her up and took her to her room. Before leaving, I put a drip on her hand, then kissed her forehead.

"Sleep well, 19," I whispered, before leaving the room and heading home.